Flash of Silver
by starscriptmage
Summary: First off, she never expected she'd see him after all these years. Second, why is he half dead again? Anya is a scientist - doctor - surgeon - member with benefits - okay, well, an agent of SHIELD and she didn't actually think she'd be seeing Pietro's smug mug around anymore... Quicksilver/OC, hints of Helen/OC, Scarlet Vision, and Wanda/OC.
1. wise men say only fools rush in

i. wise men say only fools rush in

"Code Red! I repeat, Code Red!"

Helen Cho, who had just recovered from her wounds by her own tissue-growing technology, ran down the hall in her best high heels, digging her phone out of her pocket. Her face was creased in a cross scowl that thinly veiled worn anxiety; behind her, four masked nurses wheeling a stretcher raced through the doorway. In the stretcher lay a certain unconscious young man, his damp silver-streaked hair strewn over his face. Helen could already see blood seeping through the thin cotton sheets covering his body. She set her jaw with apprehension and reluctance, but narrowed her eyes, and pulled the phone out of her pocket. With something akin to exasperation, she pressed the first contact on her speed dial list.

Shaking her phone in an attempt to make it hurry up, she thanked God that there was only two rings before the recipient picked up. Helen ground her teeth in frustration at the sound of that familiar smug, laid-back voice that greeted her and began barking into her device, ignoring any formalities.

"Yes. Yes. No. Now, please. Emergency room, med bay. YES. What? Really? I know. Thanks."

She hung up and nodded at one of the nurses.

"Jamie's on his way."

Helen pressed a cold finger to her temple and hurried onwards, cursing loudly in her head. This was extremely inconvenient. It was a national holiday today and there was nearly nobody in the hospital, much less anyone with the knowledge concerning surgery - except for her, she amended, but then again, she'd just come out of the hospital herself. And then again, there was her close friend who worked under her in Seoul, but she currently had no idea where Anya was.

Oh, she was going to murder Jamie when he got here.

Beside her, some doctor's (Parkman? Linnet? She couldn't recall) intern stumbled over his own feet, his eyes wide with undisguised terror.

"You'll be fine, Aleksander," Helen said, trying to soften her voice, but it only seemed to make him even more agitated. Aleksander Kaiser was a… prodigy, you could say. Not every medical student started working for SHIELD at the age of eighteen, having graduated from the Academy at seventeen. But, as with most geniuses, he was certainly lacking in several departments - one of them being courage.

Not exactly something you should have if you want to become a doctor.

"Yes, thanks, I'm fine," Alek muttered. "Actually, no, scratch that,I feel like I want to throw up."

"Good to know," Helen deadpanned before she could help herself. Stress was making her cynical - she hoped she wasn't the source of Alek's fear. "So do I, in fact."

He shot her a curious glance. 'You get nervous too, Ms. Cho?"

"Helen, it's Helen," she said, waving a hand. "And don't worry. Everyone's like this at their first surgery. I'm sure you'll be fine."

"Well, no, actually, it's not my first surgery," Alek squeaked. "Probably my fifteenth? I haven't counted. It's just the blood that bothers me."

"So you decided to become a doctor but you can't stand the sight of blood," Helen said, touching her temples again. "Oh, dear. I didn't sign up for this."

A short, mousy-haired young woman hurried down the hall, the frayed bracelet on her wrist bouncing in agitation as she raced towards Helen: a miraculous feat, as she was wearing three-inch heels. Her white lab coat flapped as she slowed beside them, looking more than a little chagrined. How did she manage to run in those heels? Helen found herself thinking, her mind was drifting to trivial matters. She must be in possession of steel ankles, because no human could actually run in those without permanently crippling themselves.

"Ah, Anya, I see you're here," Helen said in profound relief, dismissing the thought of high heels and running. "At least one other doctor. Four nurses is good, but not enough. Alek, this is my friend Anya. She's one of the best doctors and scientists I know."

"Actually," Alek began timidly.

"But I'm not even officially qualified to be a doctor or a scientist," Anya said. "Except for working under you, because you sort of forced me to." She tripped over her foot and cursed. "Stupid heels."

"Your choice to wear them," Helen said, grinning at her friend. "After all, they do extend your height to the mid late-hundred sixties when you put them on, and you hate looking short."

"Oh, shush," Anya said, flushing red. "And I only help around in your clinic, you know. I'm not certified to work on emergencies. How're you two?"

"Not good," both said at the same time.

"I might throw up," Alek admitted.

"I can't take another life-or-death situation," Helen said.

"Well, orders from SHIELD are orders," Anya said. "Though I wonder why we're going to the emergency room at three hundred miles per hour. Does it matter who asked you to hurry?" She cocked her head, a dimple appearing in her right cheek. "Thor. The blonde one?"

Helen's cheeks flamed. "No. Be quiet."

"Uh," Alek interjected. "I hate to interrupt, but we've got a dying person here."

One of the masked nurses was in the way of Anya's vision, so she couldn't really see who the patient was. She had a pretty good idea how much blood was involved, however; Alek's face was slowly beginning to turn green.

"That's just how me and Helen cope," Anya told him. "Well, actually, it's just me. Helen's cool as a cucumber when she's in the operation room. She never gets nervous, or panicky during the surgery. It's before that she gets fluttery. I'm terrified the entire time, though. So we make sure to make small talk before. Speaking of which, this is your first operation, isn't it? Good luck. You'll need it."

"Anya," Helen chastised.

Anya only gave her a wide grin and ran ahead, white coat flapping madly.

"Sorry," Helen said to the poor intern, who looked even more terrified. "I - she - She's the one who's never bothered about stress or blood during emergencies. So she automatically assumes that everyone's just as worry-free as her. I'll be right next to you the entire time, so calm down. And besides - "

She flicked her glance to her watch.

"The head surgeon here'll arrive soon."

.

.

.

Anya pulled on the pristine white gloves, her loose, curling hair bundled messily into a tight ponytail and her face devoid of fear as she scanned the patient's torso, while the miserable medley of interns and scientists crowded over the stretcher. She played with her bracelet absentmindedly, almost without thinking, as Helen marched into the room, snapping her phone shut.

"One intern, an astronomer, and two writers for a science magazine," Anya reported. Alek trailed in after, his face white as a sheet, but his face resolute. "Four nurses, but they've just graduated. This is going to be tough, Helen."

"I got Jamie on the line," Helen said tightly. "He's on his way, but heaven knows how long he'll take. Oh, I am going to have a long talk with him after this."

"How's the patient?" Alek said timidly, and Anya shrugged, her expression resigned. "I haven't taken a look at him yet, and besides, everyone's trying to look at his condition. Even that astronomer looks a little ill from the blood."

"I'd say he's averagely attractive," Helen suggested. "I mean, not as much as, well, you know. But he's not bad."

"I'm sure she wasn't," Alek began.

"And he'll be dead in a few minutes if Bennett doesn't come right now," Anya said, a flash of anger appearing on her face. "That useless, good-for-nothing excuse for a doctor. I'll kill him with my bare hands. I'll strangle that skinny little neck of his. I'll - "

"Also, a hint," Helen muttered to Alek as Anya began to pace, mumbling inaudible profanities under her breath. "Never make her angry."

"Hint taken," Alek said in a choked voice. "But wait - what do you want with Doctor Bennett? He told me he'd go to Hawaii or something on his day off. There's no way he could get here that quickly."

"Wait a minute, you're Jamie's intern?" Helen began in disbelief, but the sound of feet hurrying down the hall made her stop in her tracks.

The surgery's room was suddenly silenced the door slammed open violently.

Helen sighed with relief and Anya started to speak, but Doctor Jamie Bennett had already entered, running a hand through his hair.

"Am I late?" he offered, giving them a sparkling smile. As usual, not a hair was out of place. His suit and tie looked impeccable, and there wasn't a single speck of dirt on his coat.

Anya proceeded to judo-flip him, roaring furiously. Alek averted his eyes out of respect for his gagging mentor as the enraged girl began to perform the Boston Crab on Jamie.

"Ouch," Helen said, wincing. "I feel sorry for you now. But there's no time - stop it, both of you. Anya, you and I can kill him later. Jamie, we have a severely injured patient. If you two don't move right now - "

She glared at them, and Anya reluctantly got up.

"Out, out, out," Jamie said cheerily, chasing out all the interns and pale-faced people crowding the room. "Sorry. Emergency."

"So let's see this patient," Anya said, dusting off her hands. "How's his - "

Alek moved out of the way and her eyes landed on Quicksilver, widening a fraction before she staggered to the right, her hand pressing against her chest.

"What - how - " she began, brow crinkling. Helen noticed with apprehension that her hands were shaking - Anya never got nervous during any operation, broken bones, vomiting, or pools of blood included. There was one time when a patient with a cut so deep the bone was showing had arrived, and she hadn't even twitched an eye before starting the operation. What was it about this patient that made her so shocked?

"You know this guy?" Jamie said casually.

Anya stuttered, muttering incomprehensibly for several minutes, then gave up, swallowing. Her mouth shook, and there were - tears? - sparkling in her eyes. Alek's worried face grew even more worried as he realized that Anya's face was even paler than his; in fact, she looked -

"You look like you've seen a ghost," Helen said in concern. "Anya? Are you okay?"

"I - I - "

Jamie smiled pleasantly, spinning her around by her shoulders.

"All right, you know what they say about working on patients whom you have emotional ties with," he said brightly, and pink spots appeared on Anya's cheeks.

"Emotional ties?" she sputtered, trying to peel his hands off of her.

"Yes," he said, shoving her out the doorway. "Now go sit down somewhere. As much as we desperately need assistance, I can't have you performing surgery on a patient in critical condition with your hands shaking like that."

"Dr. Bennett," Alek said hesitantly.

"Jamie!" Helen shouted indignantly.

But Jamie only smiled cheerily again, and shut the door with an almighty crash right in Anya's startled face.


	2. when all those shadows

ii. when all those shadows almost killed your light

"I want Mama," whimpered the young girl, her voice barely echoing in the damp, dank cell she'd been thrown into moments ago. "Where am I? I want Mama."

Her eyes were too filled with tears to adjust to the dim light. She shivered, clutching at herself, shrinking when the two shadows opposite of her crept closer carefully.

"No," she squeaked, shivering. "No. Go away. No."

"Are you all right?" said one of them, a girl. It was nearly impossible to see in the dark, but her heart-shaped face was beautiful; that was clear enough. Her cheekbones were severely pronounced,her eyes shone hard and bright, and her mouth was red and rosy. "We won't hurt you."

The girl only shook her head and closed her eyes, shaking even harder.

The other one, a boy, from the sound of it, cursed suddenly.

"Wanda, can't you see she's soaking wet," he said in a harsh, grating voice that made the girl take a sharp intake of breath. "Here."

There was a rustling sound and the girl peeked at them half-curiously, then burned bright red with embarrassment.

"What are you doing!" she said in a voice three octaves higher than her own.

The boy had taken off his sweater, and was struggling to wriggle out of the shirt beneath it. Seeing as it was about three sizes smaller than himself, it took several minutes.

"I'm not doing anything," the boy grumbled. "I just happen to have a big, caring heart."

"Oh, shush, Pietro," Wanda said. She gave her a comforting smile. "Sorry. My brother's very prickly but he does have a caring heart. He's also got a hero complex. He thinks he can solve every problem."

"I do not," Pietro said, and she almost giggled at his expression.

"See, you can smile," he said, and tossed his shirt at her.

The girl turned even redder.

"Put your sweater on, Pietro," Wanda chided. "You're scaring her." She turned around again. "I'll make sure he doesn't peek. Take off your wet shirt and put this one on."

There was a moment of stuttered protesting, then the girl gave up, seeing Pietro's stubborn expression. Wanda turned her face to the wall, forcing her brother to do the same, and waited until the girl gave a meek, "I'm done."

"So how did you get here?" Pietro said, his voice slightly less harsher. "Did you volunteer too?"

"V-V-Volunteer?" The girl looked slightly, if not overly, aghast. "Why would I do that? I just came to Sokovia to look for my mother. Did you volunteer?"

He gave a short, abrupt nod.

She dare didn't ask why.

"Anyways," Wanda continued hastily, batting her brother away. "Do you have a name?"

The girl shook her head.

"I don't remember it," she said. "Mama disappeared when I was little, and I've been trying to look for her for a while. I accidentally came to Sokovia a few weeks ago and - " She broke off, eyes downcast.

"We'll have to give you a name, then," Pietro said matter-of-factly.

"You can't just name somebody just like that," Wanda told him in exasperation.

"Oh, yeah? Watch me," he shot back, but he was smiling.

The girl decided that she liked him smiling better than scowling.

"How about Astrid?" Wanda suggested. "Petra? Anastasia?"

"I knew a girl called Astrid before," she said hesitantly. "She wasn't very nice."

"I'm very much against calling her Petra," Pietro added.

"Anastasia… might be too fancy," the girl continued. "It sounds pretty, but I don't think it suits me very well."

"No, it doesn't," Pietro said, and Wanda dug an elbow into his ribs. "Ouch! Well, you said you liked it, right? How about a… shorter version? I think Anya's good."

"Anya?" Wanda looked contemplative. "Well, if you like it - "

"Yes, I do!" the girl said vehemently, and Wanda's eyebrows rose. "I - I mean, it sounds nice. I like it."

"Okay, then," Pietro grunted. "You're Anya."

.

.

.

Anya started awake. Had she been sleeping? She didn't know. She was sitting on a chair in the corner rounding to the surgery room, her hairband having slipped off mid-doze. She sat up awkwardly, blinking blearily, and shook the hair out of her face, breathing slowly.

I can't believe I was dreaming about that again, she thought bemusedly. It's been so long, I hadn't thought - I mean, I'd never expected to -

She sighed, and stretched. The good thing about wearing this lab coat was that it was slightly insulating. As much as her high heels were pinching her toes, she felt cozy and slightly sleepy.

She must've imagined the patient's face. There was no way that Pietro was out - for heaven's sake, it had been years. She never really thought about him anymore, anyway -

No, only about fifty times a day.

"Shut up, Anya," she told herself.

The sound of shoes hurrying down the hall made her freeze in her tracks. Helen? No, those aren't heels… Alek? Jamie?

"How is my brother doing? Where is he? Bring me to him right now," a familiar feminine voice demanded, and Anya's heart stopped.

It really was them.

She clapped her hands to her mouth, feeling tears form at the corners of her eyes. It had been so long since they'd seen each other -

"I'm really sorry, Miss Maximoff," said Alek's voice very sheepishly (and rather meekly). "We can't let you see him right now. Doctor Bennett is still operating on him."

"Let me IN," Wanda shouted. "I want to see my brother. Let me in, now."

"I'm really sorry," Alek squeaked, evidently having no experience dealing with angry females. Anya felt a twinge of sympathy for the boy; he sounded completely exhausted and scared at the same time. "I can't let you do that."

"GET OUT OF MY WAY," Wanda roared.

A voice cleared its throat. 

"Miss Maximoff, I can't let you in right now," Helen said in a crisp, business-like voice. "We're in the middle of surgery. We know you're worried about your brother, but we're taking care of this right now. Please trust us to take care of him."

There was the sound of Wanda releasing a shaky breath.

"Is he… is he going to die?" she said very quietly.

Anya's heart plummeted. She hadn't even considered that concept - that Jamie and Helen wouldn't be able to help Pietro. What if he died of blood loss? That was a serious amount of bullet wounds; there had been so much blood. She'd never gotten squeamish at the sight of blood, but his blood made her reel in horror.

What if Pietro died? What would she say to Wanda? Oh, good to see you again, and by the way, I'm sorry your brother died when I was napping like a newborn baby.

Anya cursed, standing, ready to sprint into the surgery room.

"He'll live," Helen said. There was a smile in her voice; she sounded even more tired than Alek, if that were possible, but there was a hint of genuine relief in her voice. "With time and help, at least. I'm using the technology I've invented to make sure his flesh grows back. And we've taken out almost all the bullets. Actually, there's someone whose hands are more precise when it comes to surgery, but she's not an authorized member of this hospital and the doctor refused to let her help because she had a… breakdown."

Her voice grew sly, as if Helen knew that Anya was listening.

"I suppose he'll let her in if she knocks on the door and greets him with her expressionless business face, with a new, ah, ready attitude."

Anya felt a grin grow on her face. Pietro wasn't going to die - and Helen trusted that she would be able to help with the surgery.

Her heart thudded in her chest as Wanda's footsteps faded into silence, and with a burst of white light, she skidded to a stop in front of the surgery room door.

Clearing her throat and composing herself, Anya raised her hand and tapped the door crisply.

Jamie opened the door, his eyebrows rising when he looked down at her face.

"I'm sorry for my breakdown," she said in a clear, loud voice. "I took a nap and now I'm feeling better. Please let me help you in the operation."

"Well," Jamie began, but Helen cut him off.

"Oh, shut up, Bennett," she said, grinning. "Anya's never failed to complete an operation before. And besides, you need help. With only me and Alek as your helpers, this man will never recover fully. You know that Anya's got talent."

"It's not talent," Jamie grumbled. "It's instinct and eye for detail."

Helen gave him the evil eye and he gave up, sighing.

"I guess I could do with another pair of hands," he muttered. "Fine, come in. But you better work fast - the patient's been unconscious for a very long while now, and Alek's examination of his heart rate shows that his pulse is beginning to slow down."


	3. you're next to me but I'm alone

**YAY UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE**

 **Thank you so much for your patience, Just A Little Spark. I bet you've long tired waiting for an update. But here it is! And three pages longer than its previous chapters! The next one is coming on quickly - and I'm very sorry I left this one on a cliffhanger. It would've been too much words for just one chapter ;) though that's probably just an excuse to use a cliffhanger. I love writing them, but hate reading them.**

 _iii. you're next to me but i'm alone_

"You'll be fine, Alek," Anya muttered. "We're nearly through, okay? So calm down."

Alek made an attempt to swallow, then gave up. Under his sandy fringe, he looked absolutely blown away by the fact that they'd just _started an operation_ , with only two surgeons, one unauthorized scientist, and an intern, and had _nearly finished_ without actually _killing_ the patient.

But seriously, was it his imagination, or had Anya's tone wavered? The older girl's grey-blue eyes were subdued and she looked ready to collapse. Two hours past, and they were still working at Pietro Maximoff. Were they nearly done? Was Anya only saying that to comfort him?

Did he need comforting? Alek shrugged to himself. He was eighteen, but it felt nice to have someone act like his older sister. After he'd started going to the Academy, he'd been surrounded by older kids who'd treated him - well, they'd acknowledged his presence, but they didn't really want to get involved with him, whether it was in projects or in simple conversation. Considering the fact that both his parents had been dead for a while, it was a little strange for Alek to hear those words exit Anya's mouth.

In the corner, where Helen was supposed to be supervising her tissue-growing machine, the two surgeons were arguing heatedly. Helen looked even more disheveled than Anya, but she didn't look like she was going to back down soon: her eyes were narrowed, and her mouth flattened into a severe line. And Jamie, his expression sour and on the brink of being irritated, looked extremely fed up.

Alek wondered distantly what on earth they were arguing about.

Helen caved in first, throwing her hands in the air in defeat, and Anya sighed.

"May I ask why Jamie even _has_ your machine here," she said.

"Gave me one," Jamie said shortly. For the first time in his internship, Alek saw that his mentor looked ready to punch a hole in the wall - or through Helen's head, he didn't know which. Though he probably wouldn't - he was constantly alternating between talking earnestly and flirting shamelessly with her, either through the phone, or on Skype. Even when Dr. Cho had been in Seoul, they'd contacted each other at least once a day to share information about interesting patients, malfunctioning devices, the latest technology, and so on. In fact, Alek could go as far as to say that Jamie seemed absolutely _smitten_ with the Korean surgeon. But, he added in his head, the head surgeon _did_ tend to flirt with other girls. So he wasn't one hundred percent sure.

"Anya," Helen interrupted, "I know our operation isn't over, but how about you, Alek, and I go give the Avengers an update on Mr. Maximoff? I'm sure they'll appreciate some information after about three hours of waiting."

"Good idea," Alek said, casting a glance at Jamie. While Helen seemed very eager to leave the room, there was an expression of wanting to go with her and wanting her to go struggling in his expression.

"See you three, then," Jamie finally concluded reluctantly. "I'll, uh, sit here. And maybe, Anya," he said, perking up suddenly, "would you like to go out for some coffee later?"

.

.

.

"URGH," Helen said, scowling fiercely. "Honestly, what is his _problem_?"

She stomped down the hall, heels clacking harshly on the ground, her eyebrows drawn together and her lower lip red from her constant biting on it.

"And why'd he toss that _go out for some coffee later_ at me?" Anya said irritably, pulling at her collar. "He knows I'm not interested, and he knows that - well - never mind. That aside, what were you two arguing about? You fight a lot with Jamie, but this is the first time I've seen you two so worked up."

"He dared to _suggest_ that my life's work _might not be functioning properly_ ," Helen said stormily. "As if he knows anything about my work! He was the one who asked me for one in the first place. And he's always said it works _perfectly_. That complete _idiot!_ " She rounded the corner and sighed. "Sorry, Alek. I didn't mean that. Your mentor's probably the best surgeon working for SHIELD. His research is really contributive and his ideas are astounding. But he's just a little - "

She let out a huff of breath, and muttered a series of detached Korean words under her breath that didn't sound too friendly.

"Ah, I'm not offended at all, doctor," Alek said, blinking. _He just happens to be an idiot around_ you _, Dr. Cho._

"Oh well," Anya said, spinning a loose strand of hair in her fingers. "Well, before we go to the Avengers, how about we freshen up first?"

She shared a long stare with Helen and both of them simultaneously burst into near-hysterical laughter.

"Sorry," Helen giggled. "I know this is seriously inappropriate, given that we need to return to the surgery to check up on the patient soon, but… you look like you haven't slept for weeks."

"Well, it _is_ nearly two in the morning," Anya said, grinning "You know where the men's washroom is, Alek. Let's meet up in front of the elevator."

.

.

.

"Well, you were right," Anya remarked, unraveling her hair from its ponytail. "I _do_ look terrible."

She studied her reflection in the mirror. Straight, chestnut-brown hair to her shoulders, curling loosely at the ends. Wry, eyes more blue than grey. A scar running down from her temple to her jaw. A determined, set mouth that tilted ever so slightly upwards in a relaxed smile. She _was_ plain, she supposed, and would've at least been a little good looking had it not been for her scar, but then again, P - someone had once told her that the pale, ragged line gave her character.

She rinsed her face, making sure to blink the water droplets out of her eyelashes, and dug around for a stick of lip balm. She should feel a little more excited - these were the _Avengers_ , who'd been on television for saving the world, professional heroes (one with rocket boosters, one with amazing strength when angered, one with a pretty nice hammer, one over seventy years old, one an assassin, one a skilled archer - and their new friends) and she'd be _talking_ to them in a few minutes - but she could only muster the slightest sliver of awe. After calming her shaking fingers and plucking out the remaining bullets, she still wasn't able to calm down her racing pulse. Even now, her head swam - had blood ever looked so disgusting to her before? No. She was a surgeon - working most of the time under Helen, meaning she had gotten used to watching the process of flesh knitting itself back together - so there was no problem. Right? Right.

Then why had seeing his blood splattered on her coat make her so terrified?

"Borrow your makeup case?" Helen asked.

"What makeup case?" Anya asked blankly in response, and Helen sighed.

Anya nearly burst out laughing. Last week, if someone had told her that she would be meeting the Avengers in a few minutes, she would've run to the nearest mall and begged Helen for her opinion on clothes. Which was saying something, because other than her standard grey dress suit and lab coat, she didn't really care what she wore. And now here she was, in the very same grey suit and lab coat, with her blouse wrinkled and her coat splattered with red, dark circles forming under her eyes. With her hair matted and tangled. With blood all over her lab coat. And no makeup case for Helen.

Helen wordlessly offered her a brush, and Anya quickly began to work out the knots in her hair. Well, at least her hands were in good condition, she thought. A while ago, when several agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. as well Pepper, Maria, Natasha and herself had a little sleepover during a get-together, they'd pinned her down and done her nails. Fortunately, Skye hadn't chosen some pastel colour, and Maria hadn't inflicted her favoured red or white on her. Jemma and Helen were kind enough to settle with a clear varnish. Small, almost unnoticeable sparkles shimmered over the natural pink of her nails. They'd been so excited about how "pretty" her hands had looked that she hadn't the heart to use nail polish remover the day after. And apparently, now she could put it to good use. Admittedly, there was at least five chips and scratches at the edges, but at least her nails looked better than the rest of her.

Helen was apparently thinking the same thing, as she was inspecting her own nails: dark blue with little silver stars in the corners.

"Let's just ignore the fact that half of the polish has disappeared from my left pinky," she said drily. "I think this is the best I can look right now."

"Me, too," Anya said, smiling a little ruefully, then gestured at her white and scarlet coat. "Maybe I should take off my lab coat. I don't want to scare anyone."

"Good point," Helen laughed, and they made their way out, still attempting to de-wrinkle their skirts.

.

.

.

Alek had worked wonders on himself, Helen thought. She didn't know how he'd done it, but his hair was now neat and his shirt straightened. He'd even managed to erase most of the exhaustion off his face; he looked actually _smart_ , unlike the both of them.

"Did _he_ bring a makeup case?" Helen whispered dubiously. Obviously she hadn't whispered quietly enough, because the boy started.

"No," Alek said, looking a little taken aback.

Anya held back a snort.

As the elevator descended slowly, she dusted off her heels and made sure she didn't slouch too much.

"You did a good job back there, you know," she told Alek as she twisted the bracelet around her wrist absentmindedly. "That was your first operation on a nearly-dead patient, right? First time I had an operation, I had to do it myself. Helen's heard about this. I nearly cried, I was terrified. I ended up calling my former supervising officer to ask what I should do."

"Liar," said both Helen and Alek, raising their eyebrows.

"You, terrified during surgery?" Helen said in disbelief.

"I can't picture you calling your supervising officer," Alek said apologetically.

"Well, I _did_ call her," Anya muttered a little mutinously.

"Yes, you did," Helen said, unconvinced, and the elevator door opened, making the three exhausted surgeons burst into tired laughter.

"Anyways, you know the drill," she continued, eyeing Anya and Alek. "Calm, business-like, tell the facts like they are. The Avengers, Nick Fury, the Vision, Pepper Potts, and Wanda Maximoff have been waiting in the lobby for quite some time, so expect some agitation. I'll start by explaining the technical details, and I'll leave you two with comforting the - what is it, Alek?"

"Miss _Maximoff_ is going to be there?" Alek squeaked, freezing.

A pause.

"Um. Yes?"

Helen stared at his face for a few moments, then shook her head.

"Anya and I will do most of the talking, so don't worry," she assured him.

"That's actually what _I'm_ worried about," Anya mumbled to herself.

"What?"

"Nothing." She shook her head as they turned the corner. Suddenly, butterflies were crawling around in her stomach - Wanda would be there. How would Wanda react - what would Wanda say? Would she be happy to see her? Would she demand to know what she'd done to Pietro? What if Wanda didn't want to talk to her at all? What if -

Anya shoved the thoughts away, assuming her scientist's blankly polite mask as they entered the lobby.

 _I can deal with it. I can deal with it. I can deal with it._

"Finally!"

Nine people leaped up from their seats, their eyes fixed frantically on Alek, Anya, and Helen. Or, rather, eight people leaped up. A red-skinned man merely stood, staring at them in mild curiosity.

Anya inwardly threw her hands up in the air.

 _I can't deal with it._

"How is he?"

"Is he recuperating well?"

"Are you using your new technology, Doctor Cho?"

" _How is Pietro_?"

"Lower your voice, Witch of Scarlet. I can see that lady doctor in grey has begun to look alarmed."

"Can someone just appreciate the fact that I bought shwarma for _nine_?"

"Tony, _not right now_."

"Clint, you're injured. Sit _down_. What am I going to tell Laura if you die of blood loss?"

"Same back to you, Nat."

"Okay, what's going on?"

"Is he still unconscious?"

"EVERYBODY SHUT UP," Nick Fury roared, veins bulging.

Everybody shut up.

"Go ahead, Doctor Cho."

"Pietro Maximoff is recuperating well," Helen said crisply, giving the former director a grateful glance. "Doctor Bennett and I are, in fact, using my new technology. I do appreciate that you bought shwarma for nine, Mr. Stark. Mr. Maximoff is currently asleep, and though my friend has removed all the bullets, it will take some time for the patient to recover from blood loss. Is that all?"

"Nice," Alek muttered as Tony gave Pepper a pleased grin. Pepper rolled her eyes.

"No, that's not all," Wanda shouted. The Vision put a hand on her shoulder to calm her down, but she shook him off, her cheeks bright crimson. "Who is helping you take care of Pietro? How do I know you - that we - that he won't - if he - "

"Doctor Bennett is a trustworthy man with no ulterior motives," Helen answered. Alek and Anya both wheeled around to stare at her; she'd just been ranting on about how horrible it was that he had doubted her invention, and now she was defending him? "I can assure you of that. This is Aleksander Kaiser, who graduated early from university and is now studying under Doctor Bennett as his intern. And this is my best friend - who could probably judo-flip a cow if she tried, but would stop in the middle of rush hour to let a cat cross the road - Anya. Jamie, Alek, and Anya have no reason to harm Mr. Maximoff."

Thor stepped forward, setting his hammer down on the table and walking towards them.

"Hey, the table's worthy," commented Tony, eyebrows raised.

Pepper punched his arm and he promptly shut his mouth.

"Thank you for taking care of the Quick Silver thus far," he told Helen seriously. "We hope he can recover soon. The Man of Iron, the Captain of America, Bruce of the Banner, the Vision, Nick Fury, the Witch of Scarlet, the Black Widow, and the Hawk's Eye appreciate your efforts."

"You do know that we have names… right?" Tony remarked.

Pepper gave him a look.

"Just saying," he muttered.

Anya hid a smile and glanced at Helen, who'd turned a faint pink.

"N-Not a problem," she stuttered.

 _Nice. Professional, indeed,_ Anya thought, sighing inwardly. Doctor Helen Cho had seen severed limbs, liters of blood, and a thousand other gruesome things. And yet here she was, completely unsettled and blushing at the sight of a broad-shouldered man in a red cape.

But she had no time to tell Thor that he was welcome, because the next thing she knew, she was pinned to the spot by Wanda's dark, piercing eyes.

 **Next chapter: Recognition! Reunion! Malfunctions! Panic! More problems!**


	4. i've forgotten what it felt

**HELLO AND HI I'M NOT DEAD**

 **First of all I'd like to say I have a tumblr account now, which you can find in my profile! (Or if you're lazy like me, it's my username.) Second of all, thank you so much for your support! Thank you very much to Mandalorian1207 and Just A Little Spark for reviewing on the last chapter. I promise the next one will be typed out soon; I've got most of it written down already. I hope this chapter isn't too confusing!**

* * *

 _iv. i've forgotten what it felt before the world fell at our feet_

Wanda's eyes searched hers, fierce and unreadable at the same time. Anya could see harsh concern and warm loyalty in the other girl's face but not much else; she couldn't tell where Wanda's train of thought was carrying her, or what she was trying to figure out. All Anya knew was that she was painfully aware of the scar marking her face throbbing hot, a dead giveaway - more like a neon sign with her name on it - telling the world her identity. Her heartbeat filled her ears, making her chest grow uncomfortably tight. She tried to swallow, and found that she couldn't - her mouth had gone completely dry.

"How may I help you?" Anya finally said, sighing inwardly in relief when the suspicion began to drain from Wanda's face.

"I'm sorry," she said sheepishly, stepping away. "I mistook you for someone I - no, my brother and I, actually - knew. She had a scar similar to yours."

 _What_? Anya thought, confused. Maybe it had been the time they had spent apart, but Wanda didn't seem to recognize her at all. Perhaps it had been because she'd grown out her hair, or because she stood straighter now, and rarely looked frightened or shy anymore. Whatever it was, Anya was incredibly grateful for it.

But with the doubt and fear writing in her stomach beginning to disappear, Anya realized that she could use this situation to her advantage. She could help Pietro recover to the fullest extent and keep her distance from the Maximoff twins from now on, if she managed to convince both Pietro and Wanda that she wasn't _their_ Anya. After all, she'd already done too much to them - or perhaps hadn't done enough. Either way, this was an opportunity to start anew with her first best friend.

Said girl raised her head, and Anya couldn't help but feel a pang of nostalgia when Wanda's sharp brown eyes met hers.

"I'm sorry for your loss," Anya said quietly.

Wanda started.

"Oh, no, that's not what I meant. There is no real proof of her death. I just haven't seen her in over six years. It's - It's an assumption."

A new beginning - a start from scratch with Wanda. She liked the sound of that, even though it stung a little that Wanda did not recognize her face.

"Really?" Anya said, letting her eyes widen a little. She reached up and ran her fingers over her scar. Her digits were ice cold as they grazed her skin. "Sorry about the misunderstanding. Well, you make it sound like you were very close with your friend. I hope I'm at least half as friendly as her."

"Friendly?" Wanda's shoulders relaxed, and for the first time in many hours, the bags under her eyes crinkled in a hesitant smile. "No, she wasn't just friendly. She was incredibly stubborn, and sometimes spoke so little I had no clue what she was thinking. But she was clever as well, and when she spoke my brother always listened. But she has - had - a heart of gold."

"Oh," Anya replied. She tried not to let her cheeks turn pink, but they warmed anyway. "I see."

She offered her old friend her hand, and as Wanda shook it with a smile, felt the remaining tension in her body dissolve into thin air.

"My name is Anastasia. Nice to meet you, Miss Maximoff."

Behind Wanda, Helen and Alek stared speechlessly at her for a few minutes, then seemed to realize that the name 'Anya' might as well be short for 'Anastasia', for all they knew. Nevertheless, Helen scrunched her nose up at Anya, her expression doubtful, and Alek blinked rapidly, the cogs in his brain evidently turning.

Anya tried to ignore them and the guilt beginning to tickle her conscience.

And maybe she should've chosen another name other than something that would remind Wanda of old memories, judging from her old friend's reaction.

"Anastasia?" For a moment, Wanda's lips whitened, and her face grew a little pinched, but she recovered rapidly, and took her hand, shaking it firmly. "I'm Wanda."

Suddenly, Anya's phone rang shrilly in the lull of conversation. She jumped in surprise (as did several of the Avengers), then let go of Wanda and answered the call.

"Yes, Jamie? she asked as politely as she could manage. The thought of his offer to go out for coffee came suddenly, rushing back to her with an unpleasant lurch in her stomach, and she slowly tried to unfurl her clenched fist. "What do you want? Oh, Helen? Just a minute."

Frowning in puzzlement, Helen gestured for the phone, eyes narrowing cautiously.

"If this is about our argument - " she began heatedly, then stopped. Slowly, her mouth began to widen into a large, disbelieving O, and her complexion turned an ashy grey in but seconds. Anya felt a distinct feeling of dread curl in her stomach as her friend's eyes narrowed into thin, harsh slits.

"What?" she whispered in a dangerously soft voice, jaw clenching.

It was because of the training Helen had gone through that only Steve, Clint, Tasha, Nick, and Anya noticed the sudden change in expression. A mask slid over her features, suddenly giving her the polite, bland look of a receptionist at work an hour too many. She wordlessly pushed the phone in Alek's general direction, and glanced down at her watch. Because of her angle, Anya was able to see the vein twitching in her friend's temple. Whatever it was that Jamie had told her, it was serious enough to make her change from tired and a little relaxed to as snappy as a half-starved wolf in midwinter.

Surprised, Alek stared at the phone for a few moments, then took it hesitantly from Helen's hand and put it to his ear. Then, with a nearly comical widening of his eyes -

" _What_?" he nearly shouted, making Helen start in surprise.

Anya winced. He really needed to work on not scaring the wits out of his patient's friends - or his own, for that matter. A look of absolute horror and indignant fury was beginning to grow on Helen's previously stormy expression, and nearly all of the Avengers had leaped to their feet in alarm. Wanda's attention immediately snapped to Alek, her large, doe-like eyes penetrating and pleading at the same time.

The poor boy flushed a furious crimson at the intensity of her gaze and the phone slipped out of his suddenly slippery grip.

Fortunately, Anya had predicted something like this happening, and caught it easily. She'd suspected Alek would react in some way like that if Wanda as much as glanced at him. The boy was absolutely, wholly, and, to her secret bemusement, very deeply infatuated with the female Maximoff.

"What's wrong?" Wanda demanded, panic causing her voice to shake. "What is it?"

"It's nothing, Miss Maximoff," Helen interjected smoothly, back to business mode, but the fingers gripping Anya's upper arm said otherwise. "Doctor Jamie only called to inform Alek and I that our friend Skye has hacked into his Facebook account and changed his status to married."

Thank heaven for Helen's quick thinking, Anya thought, immensely relieved. She turned again to the Avengers and dipped her head slightly.

"Thank you for your time," she said, forcing a smile - which, to her chagrin, was a lot harder, now that curiosity was gnawing on her mind. "Helen, Alek and I will take our leave now. We will take shifts on monitoring our patient while waiting for surgeons from S.H.I.E.L.D to arrive. Please rest, and we will contact you as soon as possible to inform you about his condition."

"Hey, can I stay?" Clint interrupted suddenly, slinging his bow over his shoulder. Anya inwardly winced at the bandages winding around most of his limbs and his torso, and the bruise-like bags under his eyes. "I owe that guy my life, you know. I wouldn't be alive right now if it weren't for him, so I'm not leaving until I know he'll be fine."

"Nonsense, Agent Barton," Anya said without even stopping to think. Exhaustion made her tone brittle, and a little harsher than she'd intended. "I do not want our four-man team to deal with a malnourished zombie in the morning, thank you for your offer. On the other hand, I would like to advise you to check for a heartbeat the next time you encounter an unconscious friend instead of automatically assuming he is dead."

" _An_ \- " Helen started to hiss, her hand tightening painfully around Anya's arm. Too late, Anya's mouth popped open, about to spew apologies and fragmented sentences edged in overwhelming embarrassment, but Natasha beat her to it.

"You walked right into that one," she drawled at Clint, giving Anya a subtle wink. Anya breathed as the tense atmosphere cleared slightly, cursing her loose tongue silently.

"Get some rest, all of you," she said, letting a tired smile drift across her features. "And I'm saying this as a person, not as a doctor, Director," she added when Nick's eye twitched. "You all did a wonderful job. Thank you very much for your hard work in protecting Sokovia. Heroes are still human, after all, and you've gained yourself a well-deserved night of rest."

.

.

.

"That is one strange woman," Tony remarked, swigging his water down in one large gulp. He waggled his glass in the direction the three surgeons had gone. "From grumpier than a cat with a twisted tail to _thank you for saving Sokovia, world's best heroes_ in zero seconds flat? That just isn't normal."

"And you're one strange man," Pepper shot back. "Now get back on your feet, you and JARVIS both. And I don't care if you're half AI," she added when the Vision opened his mouth to speak. "I want you two to stay in your beds until at least noon tomorrow, _or else_."

("Wouldn't argue with her if I were you," Tony murmured.)

"That refers to you too," Natasha added, pointing at Clint. "What's Laura going to say if you die a malnourished zombie?"

Clint attempted a hurt puppy look and received a light smack in return.

"You as well, Mr. Fossil," she added as an afterthought in Steve's general direction, then groaned. Steve had fallen asleep on her shoulder and was snoring gently.

"Anastasia," said Wanda softly, then let out a bitter laugh that made the Vision shoot her a look of concern. "What a cruel coincidence."

 _That woman isn't normal,_ Nick Fury thought to himself, sitting back and glaring through his one eye. _She was acting dodgy the entire time, especially around Wanda. I'm going to need to ask Coulson to do some research on her background._

"Anastasia…" Wanda murmured again restlessly, turning her face away.

.

.

.

"That was clearly _not_ Skye's work," Anya hissed, trying to catch up to Helen's brisk jogging. "If Skye really did hack into Alek's account, he'd turn into a blushing mess - and Skye would tell Jamie not to tell Alek in order to see his reaction herself in person."

"You know, there's been something I've been wondering about as well," Helen hissed back, which Anya couldn't really put against her, since it was early morning and everyone's tempers were running very, very short. "You and Alek seem really familiar with each other, but when I introduced you guys yesterday you never mentioned that you already knew each other. And what's with _Anastasia_ , huh? That came out of nowhere."

Shaking her head, Anya exhaled heavily, putting her cold fingers on her temples. "We were in a hurry, you know that. And apparently, that's what we're in again, so there's no time to waste. I'll explain everything later, Helen."

"Everything?"

" _Everything._ "

Then, upon seeing her friend's dubious expression, "I promise, okay?"

"What about your name, then?" Helen persisted, biting her lip.

"It's - that's - " Anya threw her hands up in surrender. "It's complicated. I'll explain that later, too. But as for right now - what did Jamie say? And why are we running in our heels? _Again_?"

She nearly tripped over her own foot and staggered to the side, only to be caught by two slender hands. Alek steadied her as she tore the heels off her feet in disgust, his face grim.

"The machine. It's the machine," he explained, exhaustion settling back into his features. "Helen's tissue-growing machine is malfunctioning."

* * *

 **Feel free to ask any questions. The mysterious guilt Anya has will be explained in future chapters! And, as always, feedback is appreciated!**

 **You get a virtual mini Quicksilver if you can guess how Alek and Anya are so familiar with each other ;)**


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